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Compliance Statement


GS1 Australia’s Purpose, Vision and Values

GS1 Australia is established for the benefit and more efficient operation of the manufacturing, wholesale and retail industries and trades in Australasia and to promote and encourage the development of a unified system of numbering. GS1 Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that works in collaboration with industry, for industry, providing global standards and technology-neutral services to help solve the business challenges of today and for the future. GS1 Australia’s vision is to be the trusted partner for industries and government, leading their digital transformation, traceability, sustainability and trade evolution journeys.

Our values are:

  • Trust

  • Passion

  • Collaboration

  • Integrity

Please refer to our Vision & Values page for more information.


Our Compliance Statement

This Statement describes how we are responding to current and emerging compliance requirements relevant to our organisation, regulatory changes as appropriate and the expectations of our members and stakeholders. GS1 Australia’s commitment to compliance supports the delivery of our business activities in line with our Values and how we interact with our members and stakeholders. Our compliance culture, policies and practices help to ensure that we uphold our Values in the way we work and deliver our services.


GS1 Standards

Standards are formalised guidelines that can provide consistency and structure across products, services and processes. The GS1 Standards are widely used across the world. GS1 Australia is part of the global GS1 Group (also known as GS1 AISBL, headquartered in Brussels) which works with industries to maintain and create the GS1 system of Standards. As a member of the GS1 Global Group, GS1 Australia implements and supports the adoption of the GS1 Standards in Australia and for its members; and is bound to the compliance obligations and Internal Regulations set by GS1 Global.

As a neutral participant in the development of voluntary, market-relevant and global Standards, GS1 Australia is helping to promote integrity in supply chain management in multiple industries and markets.

Please refer to our Standards page for more information on GS1 Standards.


Competition and Consumer Law Compliance

GS1 Australia has implemented a competition law compliance program and regularly trains all our employees on the importance of not engaging in anti-competitive conduct and complying with the Australian Consumer Law.


Privacy

The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) regulates how organisations deal with personal information, and it includes the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). GS1 Australia is an ‘APP entity’ under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and we are required to comply with the APPs. The GS1 Australia Privacy Policy is available here.


Spam

The Spam Act 2003 (Cth) regulates the sending of unsolicited commercial electronic messages (spam). Spam is the distribution of commercial electronic messages to many people at the same time by email, text or instant message. GS1 Australia has internal processes to help ensure that we meet our obligations under the Spam Act.


Cyber Security

GS1 Australia has been independently assessed against the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cyber Security Framework (CSF) for Cyber Security Maturity and we are within the industry benchmark for our maturity as an organisation. The NIST CSF for Cyber Security Maturity is globally recognised and is designed to help organisations manage and enhance their cyber security posture. Continuous improvement across all NIST cyber security functions is part of the ongoing GS1 Australia cyber security strategy.

GS1 Australia acknowledges Cyber Security Awareness Month and regularly trains all employees on how to be aware of cyber security risks. All employees are required to engage in cyber-safe activities in their workplace. Please refer to the GS1 Australia Security Statement for more information on GS1 Australia’s cyber security framework and practices.


Modern Slavery

To help combat slavery and human trafficking in Australia and globally, the Australian Government introduced the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth). The Modern Slavery Act has a Modern Slavery Reporting Requirement that applies to organisations of a certain size.

In NSW, the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (NSW) applies procurement and reporting requirements to NSW government agencies and state-owned corporations.

GS1 Australia is not covered by either legislation.

We are, however, fully committed to the principles underpinning such national and state legislation. We acknowledge that modern slavery can have severe consequences for victims, distort global markets and pose significant legal and reputational risk to entities.


Employment Practices

GS1 Australia offers all employees various health and safety protections including an established workplace complaint resolution process, Occupational Health & Safety Policy, Equal Employment Opportunity & Workplace Conduct Policy and training, staff health and wellbeing training and services and access to an Employee Assistance Program and an active Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee. GS1 Australia employees enjoy GS1-funded paid parental leave, volunteer leave and birthday leave entitlements in addition to the required minimum leave entitlements under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth). GS1 Australia also conducts regular staff surveys to monitor staff engagement and actively addresses opportunities for improvement.


Not for Profit Status and Annual Review

GS1 Australia is a neutral, not-for-profit, member-based organisation. GS1 Australia completes an annual review of its not-for-profit status as part of the annual reporting requirements with the Australian Taxation Office for non-charitable NFPs with an active ABN.


Environment, Social, Governance (ESG)

GS1 Australia’s risk management and governance framework includes an ESG Committee comprised of internal stakeholders. The ESG Committee’s priority is the development and implementation of an ESG Program for GS1 Australia which complements our broader Sustainability Strategy.

GS1 Australia’s existing ESG practices are listed below.

Environment

Energy: GS1 Australia has committed to a renewable energy supply arrangement for our Melbourne Office through a Green Power energy plan. Please refer to this Greenpower page for more information about Green Power. This is one way we are working to reduce our GHG emissions.

Mandatory climate-related disclosures: Under recent amendments to the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) GS1 Australia will be required to prepare a sustainability report containing climate-related disclosures prepared in accordance with Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards. As a Group 3 entity under the new reporting requirements, GS1 Australia’s first sustainability report will be for the annual reporting period starting from 1 July 2027.

Sustainability: Please refer to our Sustainability page for more information on how GS1 Australia is supporting Sustainability & Circularity.

Traceability: Traceability is foundational to GS1 Australia’s business plan and strategy, and it supports the work we do across all industry sectors we are engaged in, both established and emerging. Please refer to our Traceability page for more information on how GS1 Australia is supporting Traceability.

Social

Please refer to our Social Responsibility page for more information on GS1 Australia’s commitment to making a positive impact on our community, our environment and the quality of life of our employees.

GS1 Australia has offices in Melbourne and Sydney. Please refer to Our People page for more information on how GS1 Australia supports and invests in our people.

Governance

Board Governance: The Board is responsible for the overall governance of GS1 Australia. Please refer to our Corporate Structure page for more information on GS1 Australia’s Board composition.

Board Committees: The Board is assisted and supported by GS1 Australia’s Audit and Risk Committee and Strategy and Innovation Committee. GS1 Australia has a number of internal management committees which report into the Board Committees on areas such as Compliance, Occupational Health and Safety and AI Governance.

Risk Management: GS1 Australia has adopted a Risk Management Framework aligned to the international standard for Risk Management ISO 31000:2018. Our Risk Management Framework is implemented and supported through internal governance structures and processes.

Code of Conduct: The GS1 Australia Code of Conduct is a key component of our internal Policy Framework. The Code of Conduct sets out the professional and ethical behaviours expected of staff while carrying out their duties or representing GS1 Australia. All staff are expected to act in a manner that is consistent with our values and ethical standards and any person can raise concerns about improper conduct associated with GS1 Australia.


Further Information

Please contact the GS1 Australia Compliance Office for further information.